In an interview with Politico, former CIA director Leon Panetta says that the US is “stuck in a stalemate with Iran”.

Asked about US claims that military objectives have been met, Panetta says, “The basic objective that the president was after, which was regime change, did not happen.

“Since that time, the president has come up with a number of reasons why the United States got involved in this war and has really confused the issue,” he adds, citing perceived threats of an “imminent” attack by Iran, and stopping them from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“This was going to be a short war, six to eight weeks; we’re obviously in only the tenth week of this war,” Panetta says. “Both sides are exhausted, both sides would like to bring this war to an end.”